ISHR Leadership at Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference
“Working together for our common future” – this was the title of the Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue in which Professor Thomas Schirrmacher, the President of the International Society for Human Rights, and Matthias Boehning, ISHR Secretary General, participated from 13–15 June 2023 in Marrakesh/Morocco. During the international conference organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the ISHR leadership met with high-level representatives from more than twenty countries – many of them speakers of their respective nation’s parliament or national assembly. Professor Schirrmacher held two plenary keynotes and spoke in a side event titled “Building bridges of understanding: Fostering interfaith coexistence and inclusive communities” upon invitation by the UAE-based Manara Regional Center for coexistence in which religious leaders from different faiths were brought together to explore the different strategies used to promote coexistence and tolerance among diverse communities.
In the final communiqué of the conference, the participating parliamentarians from around the world affirmed that interfaith dialogue that is grounded in support of fundamental rights and freedoms is an essential tool for promoting inclusivity and peaceful coexistence, upholding the rule of law, and encouraging collective efforts to achieve a better society. Furthermore, they expressed their concern at the backsliding of the global state of democracy, the deterioration in human solidarity and the weakening of the moral compass in politics and societies at large that can be seen in countries and communities around the world.
In Marrakesh, Professor Schirrmacher and Matthias Boehning held meetings with (among others): Ms. Nazila Ghanea, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Mr. Mir Rahman Rahmani, Speaker of the House of the People of Afghanistan (currently in exile), Mr. Jacob Francis Mudenda, Speaker of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe, Mr. Seyed Mahmoud Nabavian, Member of the Islamic Parliament of Iran and Vice-chair of the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation of Iran, Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Member of the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates and Chairman of the UAE’s defense affairs, interior & foreign affairs committee, Mr. Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, President of the Senate of Thailand, Mr. Danny Ben Yosef Danon, Member of the Knesset of Israel, Mr. Fabakary Tombong Jatta, Speaker of the National Assembly of The Gambia and Ms. Tulia Ackson, Speaker of the National Assembly of Tanzania.
